In recent years, advances in technology, as well as ever-evolving tastes in style, have led to substantial changes in the design of automobiles. One of the changes involves the increased use of alternative fuels (i.e., non-gasoline) in the propulsion systems of automobiles. One such alternative fuel is diesel, as it provides improved torque and fuel economy over conventional gasoline. Despite these advantages, the use of diesel in commercial vehicles has been limited in recent decades because of emission standards passed by regulatory authorities.
However, exhaust systems have now been developed that greatly reduce the amount of pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, emitted from diesel engines. Many of these exhaust systems make use of particular fluids (i.e., diesel exhaust fluids) that are mixed with the exhaust before it is emitted. However, due to the chemical properties of the fluids, it is possible for them to become frozen within the dedicated containers in which they are stored when the automobile is subjected to extremely cold temperatures. Thus, the containers are often provided with internal heaters that are activated when the temperature within the container drops below a particular threshold. However, depending on the exact location of the container within the vehicle, thawing the fluid such that it can be properly used by the exhaust system may take an undesirably long amount of time.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved diesel exhaust fluid system that is capable of thawing frozen diesel exhaust fluid with increased efficiency. Additionally, it is desirable to provide such a system in such a way that any additional manufacturing costs are minimized. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.